Sweet wisps of winter’s breath are couched behind the trees, their leaves turning red and gold. I watch in silent anticipation as nature blushes, dances, and flirts. The season’s crescendo is not lost on me; I bring my brothers round. We prepare to eat, laugh, and watch two dudes beat the crap out of each other. Specifically, I reference this fall’s celebration of Brockober Fest (UFC 121).
I’m pretty pumped for this card; Brock Lesnar vs Cain Valasquez notwithstanding. I’m looking forward to Utah native, Court Mcgee, Jake Shields vs Kampmann, Diego Sanchez – pretty much every fight has something I’d like about it. Additionally, Brendan Schaub (vs Gabriel Gonzaga) is fighting and he’s talked smack about Lesnar, so I’ve got little drama to enjoy too.
But really, the main point here is that it’s great to be an MMA fan. We had UFC 120 broadcast for free and a serious night of fights just a week later.
On Brocktoberfest
Here is my take on the Brock vs Cain fight. Brock is a clear, heavy favorite. I’m not writing off Cain, but the deck is stacked against him.
What is Cain going to bring to Brock that he’s not well equipped to handle?
Wrestling? I think he can deal with that. A good double leg to put Brock on his back might be a game-changer, but I don’t really see that happening. It would be a fun scenario because Lesnar’s BJJ coach Rodrigo “Comprido” Medeiros says Brock’s got a surprisingly aggressive guard game. I also don’t see Cain slowing Lesnar down with any Greco/dirty box on the cage. Randy Couture roughed up Brock a bit with it, but it’s not a hole in the armor of this beast.
The striking game isn’t Brocks strong suit (as Brendan Schaub had remarked about) and If the match were to be a pure stand up bout, I’d give the edge to Valasquez. That being said, I don’t see it being a stand up war. Cain can probably sneak in some hard shots, but that won’t stop Brock. I think of it in comparative terms. Cain doesn’t hit as hard as Shane Carwin. Cain pounded on Ben Rothwell’s face, but didn’t knock him out cold; Carwin, from a similar position, sent Frank Mir into la-la land.
Submissions? Once bitten, twice shy.
As for speed and cardio – both guys are pretty freakish in this department. In the third, fourth and fifth rounds, if Cain hasn’t suffered too much damage I think we’d see an advantage in performance on his side.
Anyway, I’d love to hear your two cents.
Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower.
- Albert Camus
Tags: brock lesnar, cain valasquez, court mcgee, MMA, ufc 121
I love MMA enough that can’t help but watch The Ultimate Fighter. I love to see how different guys train and try to pick up their methods. I’m sure that lots of good instruction is hidden away from us viewers, but I still see little gems come out.
In TUF S13 E3, one theme came to mind: Takedowns from the cage.
In the fight between Michael Johnson vs Aaron Wilkinson, you hear GSP in the background giving some great advice. When Aaron has pushed Michael to the cage, working for the takedown, George tells him to control the wrist and keep Aaron from locking his hands together.
Additionally, you hear GSP instructing Johnson to spread his legs to widen his base.
Aaron Wilkinson was doing a great job with his single-to-double leg on the cage takedown. When he could secure his grip, he was able to cinch Michael’s legs together and finish the takedown.
So, a few takeaway tips:
- Bottom line, grips matter when you are taking a guy to the Mat. Lock your hands up quickly. (You see Koscheck explain the importance of the gable grip when you are working for the single leg in episode 2)
- When a guy has pushed you up against the cage, working for the takedown, control the wrist and prevent him from sealing up his grip. If he’s got the hands locked, you need to spread your legs and drop down your base. In the above pic, you see how the lasso Aaron has created is behind the knee; you need to get this lasso up higher on your hamstrings or your legs will get pulled together.
- When you can, pummel your hands under your opponents arms so you can flip around and push him to the cage.
Tags: takedowns, tips, TUF 12
Shortly after being soundly defeated in his rematch with Edgar, BJ Penn released a statement claiming that Frankie had done some serious wrong doing.
“It’s clear to my whole camp and me that Frankie greased his head and all the air molecules around it. You can literally see the way my punches are gliding off a cushion of greased air, never even touching his face. If it wasn’t grease it must have been reverse-polarity punch magnets, installed in his brain, physically pushing my hands away from connecting. Whatever it was, it was utter bull****.”
When asked if the total assbeatery he received at the hands of Frankie qualified Edgar to be the lightweight champion, BJ Penn responded saying, “If you want to have your teammates pick you up on their shoulders for the judges, trying to steal the decision, then fine. Then that’s the guy you are. He’s starting to think he’s this great fighter, the all time best. Take those delusions of grandeur and flush them down the toilet with your anti-damage spray and your excessive-win creams.”
Frankie Edgar’s camp has not yet responded to these allegations.
Tags: BJ Penn, frankie edgar, Interviews, post fight
Chael Sonnen takes down Anderson executes ground and pound for four and a half rounds.
In the twilight of the fight, Anderson Silva whips out a triangle choke and locks it on.
Anderson Silva endures press conference and contemplates fu-manchu mustaches.
The end.
Tags: anderson silva, Chael Sonnen, ground and pound, UFC 117
